Janelle Irwin Taylor
Amy McGrath, a decorated Marine Corps veteran and founder of Honor Bound PAC, is endorsing Whitney Fox in her bid for Florida’s 13th Congressional District, a nod that offers veteran star power to the Democrat’s attempt to unseat Republican Anna Paulina Luna.
“I’m proud to endorse Whitney Fox for Congress,” McGrath said. “Whitney embodies the kind of leadership we desperately need in Washington — someone with integrity, a deep understanding of the issues, and an unwavering commitment to democratic principles.”
She rejected Luna, blasting her short record as a first-term U.S. Representative.
“Anna Paulina Luna’s actions betray the very principles we fought to defend. Denying election results and supporting insurrectionists is not patriotism — it’s a direct threat to our democracy. Voting for restrictions on service members’ reproductive rights and opposing the PACT Act shows Luna’s true colors. She may be a veteran, but her actions demonstrate she doesn’t stand with us.”
The PACT Act is a 2022 law that expanded health care benefits to veterans exposed to burn pits, Agent Orange and other toxic substances. It was expanded this year to millions of additional veterans not originally included in the law.
Luna has previously said that had she been in office when the law was originally passed she would have voted against it, a move Democrats have sought to use against her as she claims the mantle as a champion for veterans.
Luna herself is a military veteran. It’s worth noting that in the same remarks often referenced by Democratic groups against Luna, she also said that she would have proposed “a better bill” that would “put that funding towards only veterans.
Fox praised her latest support while using it to again put Luna on blast. “Amy’s endorsement reinforces what this campaign is about — putting country over party and people over politics,” she said.
“Unlike Luna, who seems more interested in chasing headlines than serving her constituents, we’re focused on real solutions for Pinellas County. Denying the 2020 election results and backing January 6th insurrectionists should disqualify Luna from holding public office. Pinellas deserves better.”
Fox is running in a crowded Democratic Primary against Sabrina Bousbar, Liz Dahan, John Liccione and Mark Weinkrantz. Fox has so far outraised all of them and, when excluding personal loans to their campaigns, has also outraised the entire field combined by more than $100,000. Fox has not loaned her campaign any money.
Liccione has provided more than $233,000 to his campaign, while Weinkrantz has infused his campaign with $200,000 of his own money. Dahan also loaned her campaign $50,000.
McGrath’s endorsement comes just days after Fox also secured support from EMILYs List, the nation’s largest resource for women in politics. It brings her total support from current and elected officials, community leaders and advocacy organizations to about 60.
That includes a recent nod from U.S. Rep. Eric Swalwell of California and another from SEIU Florida.
She also recently secured support from Fred Guttenberg, whose daughter, Jaime, was killed in the 2018 Parkland school shooting.
Other backers include U.S. Reps. Kathy Castor, Lois Frankel and Debbie Wasserman Schultz; state Rep. Lindsay Cross; state Sen.-elect Carlos Guillermo Smith; former St. Pete Mayor Rick Kriseman; former state Sen. Janet Cruz; former state Reps. Margaret Good and Adam Hattersley; former congressional candidate Alan Cohn; Pinellas County Commissioner Rene Flowers; Pinellas County School Board member Caprice Edmond; St. Pete City Council members Gina Driscoll, Deborah Figgs-Sanders and Lisset Hanewicz; Oldsmar Vice Mayor Andrew Knapp; Oldsmar City Council member Steve Graber; Gulfport City Council members Paul Ray and April Thanos; former St. Pete Beach Mayor Al Johnson; former Seminole City Council member Jim Olliver; Largo City Commissioner Michael Smith; Dunedin City Commissioner Jeff Gow; Largo City Commissioner Jamie Robinson; and the National Women’s Political Caucus, among others.
Whoever emerges from the Democratic Primary victorious will have a big challenge ahead. Luna won CD 13 for Republicans in 2022 following redistricting, which shifted the district from a slight Democratic advantage to a GOP-leaning seat. Cook Political Report lists it as an R+6 district.
But while the outlet lists CD 13 as “likely Republican,” it is one of only three congressional races in Florida classified as competitive. The other two are listed as “likely Democrat” — Florida’s 9th Congressional District, represented by Darren Soto, and Florida’s 23rd Congressional District, represented by Jared Moskowitz. Both are incumbent Democrats not facing Primary challenges.
